Thanks for all who guess the image of the food. The winner of prize for this week is being contacted, who will get fiveSaffron Road coupons redeemable for its products.

These are fresh leaves of plant commonly associated in Mexican and Indian cuisines. The dried seeds of this plant are also used in Indian spice mixture such as garam masala. The edible leaves are widely used in Indian chutneys, Mexican salsas, and Vietnamese bánh mì.

This leaf is one of the most polarizing food known to man. Majority of us, i.e., 80-90%, love its fresh herbal taste, while rest despise it and describe its flavor as “soapy”, “dirt”, “bug”. This differences in perception of flavor of this leaf is due to genetic differences. Scientists have identified the chemical responsible for the pleasant aroma as 2-dodecenal, but component(s) responsible for its “soapy” taste have not been identified yet. What is this leaf?

Photo based on H. Pinto

This week’s FoodScope prize is fiveSaffron Road coupons redeemable for its products. Saffron Road just introduced a new Simmer Sauce line available nationwide at Whole Foods Market and a few other specialty foods stores.

Prize is mailed to one correct guess (or any if none correct) from readers within the United States. Comment before end of July 29, 2012 to win. The first correct guess receives two entries.